


The Will of the Hokage

by laverna_aurelius



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, M/M, Multi, Naruto Sensei, Naruto's conniving genin, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-31 13:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20115577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laverna_aurelius/pseuds/laverna_aurelius
Summary: Peacetime has rapidly settled onto the village of Konoha, and as everyone begins to move on with their lives, unexpected friendships form and bloom between the Hogake and his future replacement.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna be a part of this so here I am. I hope I can complete it. It will be a slow burn for sure, and probably not a very long story. There is some sasunaru. I hope you all enjoy this little prologue.

"Naruto?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"I know that I am what the village needs right now..." Kakashi began, a little tentatively 

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

It took the newly minted leader a long time to say anything else. Just as Naruto was beginning to believe that Kakashi wasn't going to keep talking anymore, he started back again.

"Do you still wish to become the Hokage, Naruto-kun?" The childish honorific slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it and he was thankful that Naruto was down on one knee, head bowed in deference, because Kakashi's cheeks, just peeking over the top of his mask, burned.

Naruto flinched, but didn't comment on the slip up. "It is my will to serve this village and protect everyone in it, in whatever capacity, Hokage-sama."

"And what of your romantic ties in the village at this moment?"

Naruto's cornflower blue eyes widened a fraction in surprise before surmising that this line of questioning was probably status quo. It was rare that the Hokage had time for their own family. 

"None, sir. Hinata-chan and I decided that she would be better served leading her clan and protecting her bloodline," Naruto said at last, his voice tight.

"How very mature. But also sad. I'm sorry, Naruto," Kakashi murmured, his voice closer. Naruto looked up and realized that the former Copycat Ninja was now standing over him, his now matching dark eyes glittering softly with concern.

Naruto felt the fresh wounds in his heart pull slightly, but ignored the pain. "Hai, thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Those obsidian orbs disappeared as Kakashi's eyes curved into a smile. "And Sasuke, ne?"

Naruto visibly blanched, his entire face glowing pink with embarrassment. "H-h-how did you know about that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto demanded, his young age showing through.

Kakashi shrugged. "I didn't, but thank you for confirming my suspicions..."

Naruto scowled and stuck out his tongue. "Baka-sensei," he growled under his breath. Kakashi chuckled. 

"So you won't be devastated if I send him out on long missions?"

The young man's youthful demeanor slipped away, and the familiar stoic mask slipped backed into place. "No, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. I would like you to take awhile off. I'll still be sending you on regular missions, but take it easy for awhile. And here..." Kakashi pulled something out of a box and Naruto was stunned when he realized what it was.

"You're promoting me to jounin?" He asked, confused.

"Many shinobi get promoted during war time. I hope that you accept this vote of confidence to lend your aid to a group of genin. Academy opens back up in six months..." he trailed off in a sing-song voice.

Naruto accepted the flak jacket with sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. "Maa maa, Kakashi-sensei. After seeing how hard of a time you had with us, I'm not so sure I feel up to teaching."

Kakashi's good natured smile faltered a bit, and his eyes took on a more serious expression. "The world still needs you, Naruto. Don't be quick to forget that, ne?"

Naruto's affect matched Kakashi's instantly. "Hai, I know Hokage-sama. I won't let you down."


	2. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy. Short chapters are easiest for me, so sorry in advance. I lose my creative energy if I don't work and plan in short bursts. Please forgive any typos. I tried to edit as much as possible but I have limited time <3

Naruto bounded across the rooftops faster than he thought possible in his current state. He had apparently gotten a summon from the Hokage in the middle of the night that he had foolishly chosen to ignore in his inhibited state. In his defense, his genin team were being unbelievable to manage as of late and in the midst of mental exhaustion had thought a few drinks with friends would be just the cure he needed to unwind a little. However, the headache he was currently sporting at this particular moment said otherwise.

He sped by the newly renovated hospital and sighed wistfully, wondering if Sakura was inside. She always had the best hangover cures, but he didn’t have the time to spare. The raven that had appeared on his window sill to deliver the message from the Hokage had, according to his very irate neighbor, appeared around two o’clock in the morning and cawed and pecked at his window until about twenty minutes ago when his body had finally come to consciousness. He had gotten dressed in such a rush, so worried that he was going to get an official reprimand, that he had only just realized no other summons was sent, let alone a shinobi, to fetch him. And he wasn’t one to ignore orders (unless it was really important) so as this was technically his first offense, then surely he couldn’t be in that much trouble, right?

He was still traveling at such breakneck speed, however, that he knew if he didn’t slow down soon, he was going to crash into the Hokage’s office through the window whether it was open or not. Finally slowing to a jog, he hopped gracefully down and stared up at the tower, suddenly a little trepidatious.

Kakashi was really really busy these days, and any time Naruto had to be dragged into the office, he was overcome with anxiety at the sight of mountains of paperwork, multiple cork boards, and four telephones that always seemed to be ringing. It was terrifying, Sisyphean task to complete it all. Naruto wondered which piles of work he would inherit when he became Hokage. Guilt nibbled at his thoughts and he resigned that maybe he should help Kakashi with some of his workload since it would eventually become his job. He could even recruit his genin into filing and cleaning up.

Naruto, chuckling to himself at the sheer brilliance of the plan, failed to notice the out of order sign hanging on one of the doors and smacked into the unmoving glass panels, earning laughs from a few stray shinobi exiting the tower.

“Rough night, Naruto-kun?” He heard a shy voice ask and looked over to see Hinata smiling prettily at him, wearing the simple but elegant traditional garb that always made his blood thunder in his ears. His heart wrenched uncomfortably in his chest at the sheer sight of her.

“I just drank a little too much last night, Hinata-chan,” he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“I see,” she responded with a small, but knowing smile that said she had already heard all about it.  
He ached to be with her still, even after nearly a year. He’d recently heard rumors of her upcoming engagement, and had been steeling himself emotionally for the inevitable ceremony that he wouldn’t be able to ignore. Who could it be? Why was it so tight under wraps? Who could possible be good enough for Hinata? Who could possibly be better than him?

He realized he was staring at her and shook away the uncomfortable train of thought. “Well, I have a meeting with the Hokage. It was nice seeing you, Hinata.”

“You too, Naruto.” She gave him one more tiny smile, and he saw the sadness glittering in her lavender eyes, but turned away from her and marched inside.

He managed to narrowly avoid the few other people he recognized as he made his way to the top of the tower and stood outside the Hokage’s large, ornamentally hand-carved wooden door. He knocked once, twice, three times and didn’t receive an answer. Trying the handle he realized it was locked and he frowned. After searching for an aid or anyone in the vicinity who could help him but the hallway was oddly deserted now. He could blast the door open, but then it would have to be replaced and Naruto had a feeling that would mean more paperwork for Kakashi, so he ultimately decided against it and made his way back out of the tower and scaled the wall with ease, instead using his original entry plan. 

Naruto found the one window that he knew had a fiddly lock on it, and jiggled it open easily, then he crept noiselessly inside. His eyes nearly fell out of his head at the scene before him. The place was a mess. Piles pf papers stacked almost to the ceiling. More paperwork than he had seen in his entire life, even after the war and that had been a LOT of paperwork. He carefully made his way through the maze of files, old food cartons, a pile of clothes, a hammock hung from the ceiling between two columns of papers, until he found himself in front of Kakashi’s desk where he nearly died from shock. 

There was his former teacher, asleep in a bowl of noodles, his mask pulled down below his chin. His first instinct, which he obeyed, was to turn quickly away. He didn’t want to look at Kakashi’s face. That wasn’t allowed, was it? Some people had seen it of course, and Kakashi didn’t seem to mind then. But would he care if Naruto saw it? Were they close enough for that? He wasn’t sure. When he thought of Kakashi, he definitely felt something, but he couldn’t define it. More than friendship, no longer mentor and student, and definitely not father and son. Kakashi, Naruto had decided long ago, would make a terrible father. He decided to sneak just one more peak only to discover that the man question had disappeared. He gasped, feeling a kunai sticking almost through his jacket and into the flesh of his lower back.

“Jeez, Kakashi-sensei! It’s just me!” Naruto squawked in surprise, stumbling forward a couple of steps.

“Sorry, Naruto,” Kakashi sighed wearily, his mask firmly in place and his matching eyes bleary and unfocused. “It’s been a really long...” Kakashi trailed off. “Month?” He finished uncertainly, as if he were trying to discern what day it was.

“I’ll say!” Naruto all but shouted. His former teacher didn’t necessarily smell bad, but he definitely didn’t smell good either. His clothes were rumpled and his famous silver hair was hanging over one of his eyes, making him look rather menacing. Naruto continued to scrutinize the older shinobi for a while, waiting for instructions when he realized that it was possible Kakashi didn’t even know why he was here. “You summoned me, Hokage-sama?”

“Did I?” Kakashi asked, pinching his chin in thought and tipping his gaze up to the ceiling, as if searching the wooden beams for answers. That’s when Naruto noticed the flushed sin peeking over the mask, and the dark circles painting a sharp path around his eyes.

“Kakashi-sensei, are you feeling alright? You look like shit.” Naruto prodded, almost gingerly. His teacher had always been wary of visiting the hospital. “Why don’t we go get some ramen and maybe home?”

“I have too much work to do,” he said solemnly, suddenly seated once again at his desk.

“Where is everyone?”

It took him awhile to answer, Naruto could see the gears turning. “Oh! I gave them the day off for the Autumn Equinox Festival.”

“Kakashi-sensei...” Naruto started, a little unsure how to go about this. Kakashi clearly needed rest, medicine, food, and a shower. He knew what Sakura would do if she were in this scenario. He chuckled inwardly and put on his best impression of puppy eyes. 

“It’s just that I never get to see you anymore and everyone else in the village is taking a day off, so maybe you could get some rest and hang out with me?” He was now leaning over Kakashi’s desk, expression so full of want that he could even see the infamously flat affect of Hatake Kakashi start to crack. Then Naruto saw something unfamiliar flash across his face, gone in an instant, before Kakashi leaned back a couple of inches, effectively breaking the spell.

“Maa maa, Naruto-kun. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the day off today, but you and your kidlings have to be here first thing tomorrow morning to help me.”

Perfect, Naruto thought to himself, eyes gleaming with triumph. “Hai, Hokage-sama.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see. Missed y'all. Missed writing. Please be kind over my typos. I'm lazy and have depression lololol. You can check out my ig themellochello for a picture I drew of Naruto's genin team!

Kakashi had felt pain before. He'd died in a war, damn it. But this fever that was finally starting to settle in his bones would be the death of him; even his hair hurt. He almost whimpered but stilled himself when he heard the sound of quiet humming, then immediately started taking in the situation. Wrenching one eye open, he scanned the room. His living room. He was on his low, plushy couch. Kakashi had a huge sofa. Sakura always joked that it must be the loneliest huge sofa with only Kakashi to ever keep it company. What Sakura didn't know was that he sometimes piled onto it with all of his ninken. His house plants were glistening with fresh dew. They'd been watered. After the war, Sai had taken to buying him house plants. So for every holiday, Kakashi got plants he couldn't manage, until he hired one of the shopkeepers from Yamanaka's shop. He wonders if Ino was the one who put Sai up to the plant buying...

"Wow, Kakashi-sensei. You look awful," Naruto started when he walked into Kakashi's blank stare.

"Maa maa, just a cold," Kakashi smiled, half joking. Naruto fixed him with a stupefied expression before rolling his eyes and walking out of Kakashi's line of sight.

"'Bout time you woke up! The ramen only has a few more minutes of perfect consistency before it become useless mush." Naruto set their bowls on the coffee table, then settled for sitting in the floor across from Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled despite himself. Endless places to sit, but Naruto always chooses the floor. "I hardly remember getting home, to be honest," he admitted, before sitting up to grab his ramen. "You didn't have to wait for me."

Naruto choked back laughter, sputtering, "Surely you didn't think I waited. I've already had two bowls."

"Ah, wakatta, silly me."

"Indeed," Naruto replied around a mouthful of noodles, dutifully looking at the plants and books instead of straight ahead at Kakashi's face.

It was strange how clean it was here, but Naruto knew Kakashi had a maid. Naruto's genin team, himself included, all had a chore chart of all the responsibilities at everyone's houses and they all had to work together to finish their chores. Seemed like a good idea when he thought of it, except now they all bickered constantly. 

"Kakashi-sensei, you doing okay?" Naruto asked after waiting for Kakashi to finish eating. He collected their bowls and changed the wet compress on Kakashi's forehead, giving Kakashi a good few minutes to formulate a response. Naruto was good like that, something Kakashi never thought he would say. Naruto, thoughtful and patient? Yet, here he was offering both.

He mulled over the recent events in his head. It was clear to him that the Hokage's powers were too great, and thus were the responsibilities. The council was out of touch. He needed more, and he hated the thought, government. He had been working feverishly with Shikamaru and a few scholars from the civilian community on how to do just that, but on top of his normal duties... 

"I'm very, very tired, Naruto-kun," he sighed out. 

"Yeah. It kind of seems like being the Hokage sucks," Naruto empathized, his eyes glittering.

"Hai, it does. But hopefully by the time you take over, it won't be so awful," he yawned, immediately realizing how exhausted he was. 

Naruto had a perplexing look on his face as Kakashi settled back onto the couch. Too miserable to be prideful or pretend he wasn't dying

"Ne, in fact, I hope to make everything better for when you're in my position, " murmured the Hokage, his heavy eyes closing. 

Naruto didn't move an inch until he was sure the Rokudaime was completely asleep, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Just what has Kakashi been on about? What kind of stuff was Kakashi planning? A feeling a fear suddenly gripped Naruto's chest. Was Kakashi trying to restructure their system of government? Naruto had heard nothing of the sort, and he knew why. Such talk was treasonous. The Daimyo, the Council, the noble clan families, all would have their comfort and status altered. The jounin-sensei didn't suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. This was dangerous work and certainly not Naruto's business. 

Why isn't it, though? If Kakashi is willing to put his life in jeopardy for the sake of Naruto and the village's future, shouldn't that be his business?

Maybe it wasn't so dramatic. Maybe his life wasn't in jeopardy. But the jumping in his stomach, his intuition, said otherwise. And sure, Kakashi has been and always will be one of the strongest shinobi in the world. But without his sharingan, many people doubted his strength. Their trepidation was misplaced. Kakashi may not be the powerhouse copycat he was before but his immense chakra lasted so much longer, and his repertoire was massive at this point. Most importantly, though, Kakashi was lazy. He hated working harder than the person he was fighting, so he was a master of endurance and wit. 

But this feeling inside him was impossible to ignore... Would the jounin and ANBU assigned to protect the Rokudaime do so if they thought their Hokage was committing treason? 

He wasn't so sure. He stole a glance at the sleeping Kakashi, seeing his former teacher a little bit differently than he did before. Kakashi? A radical? It almost made Naruto laugh, but he knew that Kakashi's guilt was deep and unquenchable. He would work himself to death if he thought it made his existence less disappoint.

"You are so dramatic, Kakashi-sama," Naruto exhaled, ruffling the Hokage's hair while he was too unconscious to protest, before heading out the door and locking the door behind him, but not before snatching the spare key he found in one of his leader's many stupid plants.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Naruto's adorable genin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW TWO UPDATES IN LIKE A DAY??? Also I'm changing verb tenses to SWITCH IT UP SO FORGIVE MY MISTAKES.

Naruto is scratching the back of his head, a tale-tell sign that he is about to say something they weren't going to like. Tsuri noticed that everyone in Team Seven adopted this particular mannerism. She huffs out a heavy sigh. Whatever they were going to do today was going to absolutely suck.

"Well we have a mission! Straight from the Hokage himself!" Declares Naruto, tossing up a cheesy victory sign. Yusuke, the cleverest of the group, already knows that all missions technically come from the Hokage. But he holds his tongue. 

Rei, however, is practically buzzing with excitement. "The Rokudaime is soooooooo cooooooool! Will we get to see him today?"

Naruto beams. "As a matter of fact, we will be working alongside him doing very important work for the village!"

"Why would the Hokage want a group of genin to help him with important work?" Tsuri asks suspiciously. 

Naruto looks deeply offended. "Why, Tsuri-chan. All work is important to someone. Let's go!"

He leads the way to the Hokage Tower, humming softly to himself, while chewing on his bottom lip in thought. He can feel Yusuke's calculating gaze on him, but he ignores it. Yusuke, with his sharp eyes and pointed feautures and downy hair looks like a hawk, and is an analytical genius. He already petitioned for Shikamaru to be his mentor after they become chūnin, but his request hadn't been reviewed yet. _I wonder which pile mentor petitions are in?_

Over the busy sounds of the morning market, Naruto can just pick out Rei's voice, bubbling excitedly like a pot boiling over.

"---And then, you will not believe it, she chooses Mariko instead of Yusuke!" Yusuke's cheeks flush pink with anger. The main love interest in the latest drama shares his namesake. It is awful.

Tsuri squeals, both with anger and delight. "SPOILERS YOU ASS HAT! I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET!"

Naruto laughs. Tsuri has been shipping Mariko and Keiko (or Mareiko) since episode one. He never imagined it would ever happen. Although shinobi are usually very open, or nonjudgmental rather, with their sexuality, he'd noticed that civilians are culturally less so. It was a very foreign concept to him. Tsuri's parents are civilians. They live on the outskirts of town, operating a small but yielding farm. They didn't have a TV, so Tsuri always had to wait a few days to watch Falling Hearts.

Tsuri was taller than her teammates, with lean, but defined, muscular legs. With her narrow hips and wide shoulders, she was indistinguishable from a boy, and Naruto had come to understand that she likes it that way. Her curly, dark hair sticks out in every direction, always a stray chicken feather or leaf in her hair.

Rei was physically Tsuri's opposite. Short, with a chubby but built physique. Rei was Sakura's cousin and had been learning to fight her entire life. She was built for it, too. One time Naruto watched her, green eyes blazing, round arms hardening with natural muscle, lift a huge boulder and throw it ten meters behind herself, giggling like it was so embarrassing to be so strong. A chatterbox through and through, but Rei never has an unkind thing to say about anyone. Although she is sweet, she is also incredibly mischievous. Naruto has a feeling that as she was spoiling the season finale of Falling Hearts, she was twirling a piece of lilac hair between her fingers. She always does that when she is being naughty.

"Oi!" Yusuke interjects. "Can the two of you talk about literally anything else in the world?"

"You're just jealous that Yusuke-san is so much cooler than you," Tsuri taunts.

Yusuke chuckles. "Oh please. He's just a pretty face. I dont know how his one brain cell can firm a sentence, but I'm sure he just uses an earpiece.." he was taunting back, but also genuinely curious how someone so dumb could be so beloved.

"Yusuke-kun," Rei admonishes. "That isn't a very kind thing to say. Besides, the only way you'd know how dumb Yusuke really is.. well that would mean you've watched the show."

Naruto can practically feel time stop as they all simultaneously make the same connection. Their sensei turns just in time to see Yusuke bury his face into a textbook, his ears as red as tomatoes. 

He bites back a laugh and glares at the girls. "Why don't we all take the last few minutes of our walk to think about how much better of a team we would be if you all decided to stop being mean." 

Rei mutters a quiet apology to Yusuke, while Tsuri pretends to be cleaning her short nails. Naruto grins ear to ear as he escorts his team inside the tower.

No one stops them as they make their winding way to the top. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally remembered how verb tense works. I was an ESL teacher for five years, too. THE AUDACITY OF ME. Anyways, this was going to be two chapters BUT I kept being too lazy to post so here is one long (for me) chapter!

Naruto's team entered the office and the jounin-sensei immediately realized that the Hokage was not there. He scowled, something that his genin team seemed to notice. 

"What's wrong, Naruto-sensei?" Rei asked poking him hard in the ribs, eliciting a wince from her teacher. She was always so pokey and stabby.

"He's not here yet," he answered gruffly, "and he probably won't be here for a while."

"Well what are we supposed to do? Can we not get started without him?" Tsuri inquired, already starting to lose her temper. 

Naruto rubbed his hands across his face. "We're supposed to help him do paperwork and everyone else has the morning off for the holiday, so we don't know what the system is!" 

"But don't good shinobi find out the system and then we work from there?" Yusuke pointed out. Naruto stopped immediately and looked down at his smartest student. 

"Sometimes you are so clever, too clever for your own good. I didn't want to get started without him here but now that you've already come up with such a good solution I don't see how we can not."

"But what about classified information?" Rei asked, biting her lip with worry. 

"The Hokage doesn't leave classified information out on his desk!" Naruto rolled his eyes, but then thought for a second that he didn't actually know the answer to that. "Anything, that looks redacted bring to me"

Naruto was thankful to discover that his previous assumption was correct. There was nothing classified lying around, just piles and piles and piles of things that the Hokage had to read and sign. Naruto couldn't help but frown. No wonder Kakashi look so overworked. 

It took them two hours to figure out the filing system. And then another 3 hours were spent making sure everything was prioritized effectively. Once that was finished, they took a break for lunch. Tsuri's mother had thankfully packed lunch that day. Cucumber and egg salad sandwiches, with pickled vegetables and a few skewers of yakitori. Her mother was always the best cook. She didn't often make them lunch, but when she did Naruto was thankful. 

Once their picnic was set up in the middle of the Hokage's now organized office, the questions began. 

"So Naruto-sensei," Tsuri started, a little too forceful to seem casual. "The Hokage was your teacher right?

"Mm," Naruto grunted in agreement, mouth full of chicken. 

"Was he a super cool teacher?" Rei was practically vibrating with excitement, wondering when the famous Rokudaime would show.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "I'm sure he wasn't the worst teacher that ever existed..."

"Ne, Naruto-kun! That's no way to talk about your beloved former sensei."

The team jumped up onto their feet before bending automatically in a 90 degree angle. Naruto, however, did not.

"BAKASHI! YOU ARE SO LATE! I NURSED YOU LIKE AN OLD DYING GRANDFATHER AND YOU REPAY ME BY BEING FIVE HOURS LATE!"

The genin were shocked at this outburst, but only momentarily when they realized Naruto wasn't going to be reprimanded. 

"Ne, Naruto, a certain jounin let me fall asleep on my couch, which as we all know is very back for the back..." Naruto's expression remained blank and Kakashi cleared his throat. "I overslept. But you'll be happy to know that I no longer have a fever. Or maybe you won't. Maybe you don't care about your old sensei after all."

"Hokage-sama! I'm sure Naruto-sensei cares!" Rei exclaimed, elbowing Naruto so hard that his breath hitched.

"I brought dango for you very hardworking genin!" He said, eyes curled in a genuine smile. Kakashi did always think that genin were cute. "Wow you all have exceeded my expectations. What a formidable teacher you must have!"

"Oh please. It was Yusuke's idea to do the work. Baka-sensei wanted to brood until you arrived," Tsuri spoke through pursed lips, arms crossed over her chest until she realized what she'd just called her teacher. Their code name for Naruto was Baka Sensei or BS for short. Her eyes burned with embarrassment, but pointedly ignored the shocked expressions from her teammates.

"Ah, then formidable genin it is. Poor Naruto is getting steam rolled," Kakashi empathized, handing Naruto a skewer of sticky, sweet dango, still warm. 

The Rokudaime took his seat at his desk and practically deflated. The massive amount of energy it took him to drag himself out of bed and to the office was truly insurmountable. He idly began stamping forms, half reading them, half watching Naruto's team, thankful Shikamaru and his assistant had done most of this busier work, he just needed to give his stamp of approval or put them in the denied piled to be mailed back.

Naruto had somehow managed to grow just a bit taller over the past year, one final growth spurt before settling fully into adulthood. Well, mostly anyways. His wild hair had grown so unruly that he'd decided to cut it short. 

His former student was grinning, occasionally catching Kakashi's gaze to give him a sly look. His genin were talking about _Falling Hearts_, the most recent drama to sweep the nations. It was about a group of civilian students falling in love and failing tests and having eating disorders. He didn't hate it, but it was no _Icha Icha: Full Moon the Series_. Now that was a masterpiece. 

Naruto was licking his fingers when their eyes met again, and Kakashi felt his entire form go rigid, but just barely managed to control it so that it remained unnoticeable. The young sensei had a strange look in his sapphire eyes. Completely unreadable, but incredibly intense. 

"Is there anything we can do to continue helping you, Hokage-sama?" Rei pondered aloud twisting her hair between her fingers. Both Yusuke and Tsuri exchanged matching exasperated expressions before rolling their eyes.

Kakashi jumped at suddenly being addressed and smiled down at her. "I'm so glad you asked..." he purred, a hint of evil pinching the corners of his tone.

....

Naruto collapsed on his bed. Kakashi had them clean his office, bring is some furniture he'd never gotten around to relocating, unpacking old boxes, and bringing in some of his plants, building shelves. They'd essentially redesigned and decorated the entire space so that it was more functional and relaxing. His genin, well everyone but Rei, had been positively livid to have spent their entire day off being the Hokage's little runners, but Naruto felt little pity for them. Kakashi had been far worse to his own genin than Naruto would ever be to them. Besides, Kakashi promised them a day of training and stories about how stupid his genin were, and that was enough to curb the bad attitudes. 

The whole time Kakashi stamped form after form, talked quietly on the phone, or disappearing from his office completely with very little warning. It was infuriating, but Naruto knew there was no way Kakashi felt okay enough to be doing much more. He'd wondered for a while if this Kakashi had been a clone, but if it was then it was a really good one.

His brain had wondered throughout the mindless busy work. What was Kakashi up to? What was he hiding? Naruto's curiosity could hardly be contained. If he dwelled on it much longer, he might do something drastic. 

And then, genius struck.

....

Naruto had certainly been incredibly... perceptive to Kakashi's needs in the past week. He could always use another assistant, so why not the future Nanadaime. Sometimes it was Naruto himself, sometimes it was a shadow clone. Kakashi knew all too well the mental strain of receiving 14 hours of memories in a moment. It was how he was able to accomplish everything on some occasions. But it wore him out.

_Naruto is a lot younger than you_, he gently reminded himself. He was trying to do what Sakura had asked, which was to be kinder in the way he talked to himself. He smiled. He loved his little kunoichi. She would pummel him if he ever said it aloud, though. 

The war had been hard. Harder than anything he thought possible. And in the stillness of the morning light, he felt unbearable grief and despair. All the ways his existence had really affected the world, and maybe not for the better. 

_"Kakashi-sensei. Sometimes depression can make you feel like everything ever is your fault, but the reality is that the world doesn't revolve around you, actually."_

He grimaced. His kunoichi indeed.

"Hokage-sama," the blond prodded kindly, breaking him of his reverie. _Oh, he's holding more paperwork for me_. "These are the requests for participation in the chūnin exams. My team is in there, just so you know. I know you haven't seen them fight yet, but they're the best!"

Naruto could be exuberant as ever. "Hai, Naruto. Do you want me to come train with your team this evening?"

"Well you do technically owe us and I've been working for you for a week so you owe me there, too. How about you train with us until it gets dark, and then you treat me to a very large amount of carbs?"

He was so exhausted. "Hai, hai. Anything for my favorite student."

Naruto rolled his eyes so far back, Kakashi wondered if they might get stuck. "Bakashi. We all know that Sasuke is your favorite because he's never here."

Kakashi smiled.

...

Kakashi stretched as they walked lazily to training ground three. He was trying to conserve the last remnants of his energy. He'd scanned the team's file earlier in the day. 

Yusuke was a traps and long range attack specialist. His mind was sharp as any Nara, able to do large calculations in his head, including physics and probability. He knew some ninjutsu, but his file said that he had some underlying health complication that made him lousy at taijutsu. That was confusing to Kakashi. He hadn't known of any health issues when he'd approved his application to be put in a team. It was added as an after thought.

Rei, on the other hand, had immense strength and stamina. She was tough and quick, although she didn't appear to be. Didn't seem to have a concentration other than taijutsu. She was a powerhouse, with an affinity to wind chakra. 

Tsuri was the true star of the team, though. She had shown that hard work could get her anywhere. She was sinewy and lithe, with effortless confidence that made anyone second guess themselves. She was a library of ninjutsu and wielded a sword like it grew with her in the womb. 

These descriptions had made Kakashi smile. It looked like these three made quite the impression on Iruka-sensei. 

He checked the updated notes, each jounin sensei was required to send monthly progress reports to parents and the Hokage. Another job that Kakashi felt didn't necessarily need to be the work of the Hokage.

Naruto had written that they were all studying fūinjutsu theory once a week, that Yusuke had the patience, Rei had the chakra control, and Tsuri didn't give two shits, that she just wanted a seal that made stuff turn bright purple, which was apparently their current homework assignment. 

Naruto was such a fun teacher. Kakashi was sure they adored him. Well, mostly at least.

"Do they work well together?" The silver haired man asked casually, testing to see if they would eavesdrop.

"Better than we did, if that's what you mean, but no. I've had to put in an order for ear pieces. They have to be in constant communication to get anything done because they're all so damn sensitive."

The genin's quiet conversation halted momentarily before picking back up. Naruto shot Kakashi a devious grin. 

"You're almost as evil as me," Kakashi admonished, half serious.

....

Training ground three was bathed in orange and pink when they arrived, the scent of incense and fireworks still hung in the air from the festivities the night before. 

"Ne, did Naruto-sensei give you my famous bell test?"

Rei was the first to speak, practically exploding in front of the Hokage. "Hai, Hokage-sama, except he gave us a week! We certainly, ahem, learned a lot that week.." she trailed off, face flushing. Naruto's cheeks grew hot as well.

"Yes and they're still black mailing me," Naruto choked out between embarrassed laughs. "Let's get this show on the road. I'm sure Kakashi is eager to buy his 3rd favorite student dinner later."

....

Apparently they'd all expected him to come because there were so many traps that Kakashi had to summon his ninken to to locate and disarm them all. Neither Tsuri nor Rei could ever quite get close enough to land any hits, but they were so energetic. Suddenly they both jumped out of the way and Kakashi felt the pricking of incoming danger just a breath too late. An arrow with a tag attached to it embedded painfully in his leg, and then as he tried to pull it out, his skin brushed the tag, activating its effects.

It started in his fingertips where he had first touched the tag. Purple blossomed there and spread rapidly across his skin. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't pleasant. He took a deep breath. Now he was mad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy lil update for all my babies who just had to pay a million dollars in taxes. <3

Naruto watched curiously, pride burning inside of him. Kakashi-sensei was turning purple. Bright purple. It was absolutely magnificent. He almost felt a tear tickling the corner of his eye, but quickly blinked it away. Then he noticed the shift in Kakashi-sensei's stance and his eyes widened a fraction.  _ Oh no _ , he thought,  _ Kakashi is going to destory them.  _

Kakashi called back his ninken and they all disappeared beneath earth. For a long time nothing happened. And then, Bisuke, arguably the most adorable of Kakashi's ninken, came limping out into the clearing, bleeding profusely. He heard very quiet arguing. Yusuke was trying to tell his teammates that it was a trap, but Rei was absolutely beside herself.

Naruto wanted to scream at them to not fall for it, but instead he watched, interested in what they might choose to do, but was ultimately disappointed. Against the behest of her teammates, Rei jumped down out of her hiding spot and put a hand out to check on the small ninken.

The earth beneath her feet opened up and a huge ninken, Bull, burst forth from it, his massive jaws opening to snap at the girl, she squealed and punched the ninken out of sheer impulse, then Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her into the soft dirt, disappearing completely. 

"Fuck!" Tsuri yelled, nearly jumping down, but Yusuke grabbed her arm and held her back.

"It is still a trap, you imbecile!" Yusuke cuffed his teammate on the back of her head. 

"You are SUCH a coward, Yusuke-kun," she shot back, poking him hard in the chest.

"Make a move!" Naruto shouted between cupped hands. "He's already five steps ahead of you. So if you don't do anything now, then you can bet your ass he already has a plan for your complete and utter inaction! be unpredictable!"

Yusuke smirked. "Wanna try it out?"

Tsuri immediately matched his affect, a devilish smile curling at the corners of her lips. "Definitely!"

This was why Tsuri loved Training Ground 3 most: beneath all the dirt was a wealth of water. Yusuke shot an arrow with a very large exploding tag on it. It pierced the ground and immediately detonated, causing massive fissures in the earth. Rei was blown up and backwards, hitting a tree so hard that it knocked the dirt that was starting to infiltrate her lungs.

She took in her surroundings and immediately knew what her teammates were up to. She watched as a purple-skinned, angry Rokudaime exploded from the earth, along with quite a few ninken. Rei sprinted towards him to engage him in combat as a distraction. 

He turned to meet her, charcoal eyes blazing, and pulled out a kunai. They exchanged a few blows, the Hokage obviously holding back, but Rei couldn't help but think maybe he wasn't holding back quite enough. This was starting to hurt and badly. Her teammates were trying to tell her to signal for her to bolt, and try she did, but the Hokage grabbed her wrist and held firm, using chakra to glue her to him the same way they'd learned to walk up buildings and do their katas on water.

Rei thought distantly how clever it was as the prison of water engulfed the two of them, robbing them of air (what is it with getting suffocated today?) before a split second later when all hope was lost and the water transformed into a gelatinous cube, encasing herself, a few ninken, and… another ninken in her hand.

Kakashi had somehow escaped.

…

Yusuke wouldn't believe it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but the Rokudaime managed to disappear from existence, in his place was another ninken. He turned back to Tsuri to commiserate their loss when he saw a purple hand reaching out from the shadows, kunai ready at Tsuri's throat. 

"Hai hai," Yusuke sighed. "We concede."

Naruto jumped up, laughing. "You don't get to concede when it is clear you've already lost. Now will someone go free Rei, please? I think the ninken have all proofed away…"

….

Kakashi eyed Naruto suspiciously. When did he get so tall? And broad? He was chattering on and on about his clever, silly genin and their clever, silly cube of death, which he claimed to not fully understand the science or technique of it. 

Gods, he was so utterly exhausted. He wasn't even watching where Naruto was taking him. The best and worst thing about being the Hokage, Kakashi had decided long ago, was that he always had an ANBU guard silently stalking him from the shadows. Good because he could relax a little and not be so on guard at all times. Bad because they were always watching and Kakashi was never 100% sure where anyone's loyalties were at any given point. Trading a life of action for a life of quiet intrigue and subterfuge. Kakashi just wanted a break.

They arrived at a small but crammed izakaya, painted in the red glow of lanterns. Chairs were lined around the counter of the bar/grill. Naruto grabbed two seats just inside the izakaya, backs facing the street. 

"Ah Naruto-chan! And you brought the Copy-Nin Hokage! What an honor!" A very pretty man exclaimed promptly. He was tall and willowy, fair skin wet with sweat. 

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to look at the jounin sensei. "What an honor indeed, Naruto-_chan_."

Naruto's face turned bright red. "You quit that, Bakashi, or I'll turn you purple again, but this time I WON'T undo it!"

"As if you could," Kakashi said a little too smugly, he knew, and took the seat closest to the wall. 

Naruto went about animatedly ordering a ton of food. Then Kakashi remembered that he was stuck with the bill and his stomach dropped. The cook was frying up something for another customer as he shouted Naruto's massive list of plates to the other two cooks. A long dark strand of hair fell from the man's bun and Kakashi saw Naruto's hand twitch for a flash. 

"Teme! You're going to get hair in our food!" Naruto shouted, a little forced. "Kakashi-sama, may I introduce my good friend Shun, the owner of this fine establishment."

Shun stuck out his tongue. "Ne Naruto-chan you know my dad is still in charge. Nice to meet you, Hokage-sama." He finished with an appropriate bow and a quick wink to Naruto. 

_ Are they flirting? My, my, Naruto is always so full of surprises. _

Naruto grabbed two glasses and a bottle of sake from behind the counter, and carefully poured them both the same amount. He handed Kakashi the small glass, a beaming grin on his face. 

"My genin were so clever! Admit you were impressed!"

"Maybe a little. Kanpai!" 

Their glasses clinked and they downed their drinks just as a cut of marmalade-glazed, grilled tuna was set before them. 

"Naruto, is this another clever trick to see my face?" 

The blond in question rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I don't care if I see your face or--"

Naruto's words died in his throat as he watched Kakashi navigate a particularly succulent piece of tuna to his mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed, a small bit of sauce still clinging to his lip. 

"Well it is working. This tuna is so delicious, Naruto." 

"H-hai, Hokage-sama. This is my favorite izakaya. Shun is the best cook!" Naruto enthused, trying to ignore the shock of seeing Kakashi's face for the first time. 

_ I see what all the fuss was about. He's terribly handsome.  _

Naruto flushed again, but quickly had another drink to hide the sudden heat radiating off of his being.

...

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

By the time they finished their late dinner, Naruto had managed to see a full range of emotions on Kakashi's face. It was like seeing him for the first time. The silver-haired ninja had surprisingly soft features. A long, narrow nose, a wide crooked smile, a tiny mole on his otherwise fair, unblemished skin. He had a few dimples when he smiled, and a few frown lines when he didn't. Sometimes he chewed on his lip in thought, which revealed particularly sharp canines that looked subtle, but feral. He was truly devastatingly handsome. Naruto always thought he himself was cute in a quirky way, although he spent little thought on the subject in general. Kakashi looked like people wrote ballads for him while he sighed across desolate battlefields. He was almost pretty.

"Thanks for the dinner, Hokage-sama! I'm absolutely stuffed, not sure I can physically walk home." And that wasn't an exaggeration. The bill was three serving-pad-pages long, and Kakashi had balked when he saw it. They'd ordered three kinds of tempura, mochi and cheese okonomiyaki, green onion cakes, and about ten different grilled meats. 

Kakashi's mask was firmly in place, but Naruto could make out the curve of his lips through it as he spoke. "Well, you did help me all week long. And you let me beat up your genin."

"Well, Rei took most of the beating. She's the team's _Distraction Dummy_ as they call her."

"Ah I see. Will you continue to help me in the office? If you do, I'm going to have to put you on the bankroll before I spend all my money trying to feed you."

"Hai, of course, Hokage-sama. The Future Hokage should be more involved. But we have a mission in Suna next week."

Kakashi frowned. He'd forgotten that, and had rather gotten used to Naruto being there, but this gave him some time to work on more private matters while the blond was away. "You will be missed. I've got some work to finish before heading to bed."

"Wait I wanna ask you some--"

"Ja ne!" And he was gone.

Naruto thought about following him, but ultimately decided against it. Instead he decided to seek out Sakura so he could brag about seeing Kakashi's face.

…

"Baka! Of course I've seen his face! I'm a medic!"

"WHAT? Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly, I kind of forgot. It didn't seem important. It isn't like we are kids anymore," she gave him a gentle smile, taking a long drink of her beer.

Naruto was completely floored. "_Forgot_? How do you forget to mention a handsome face like that?"

Sakura's eyes gleamed suddenly, an impish smile spreading on her features. "Handsome you say? Bakashi?" She snorted, briefly choking on her drink. "I suppose he is pretty good-looking. Way above our previous assumptions, but... He's no Sasuke, or Ino, or Hinata, or…"

"You're just naming people!"

"I am not! I didn't say Sai!"

"Feh, Ino and Hinata-chan don't count anyways. They're obviously prettier than everyone else in the village."

"Everyone?" Sakura demanded, eye twitching.

"Maa maa, you know what I mean, Sakura-chan."

"That's why it is so annoying, Baka-sensei." She smirked. "It is so cute that your team calls you what we used to call Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes. "I guess. You reap what you sow."

Sakura nodded in agreement, touching her glass to Naruto's. "Indeed."

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit. Sakura's eyes glazing in thought for awhile before springing back to life. "Ne, Naruto-kun, do you really think Kakashi is that handsome?"

He almost blurted out that _yes, obviously_ he thought that, but stopped himself when he picked up on her affect. She was trying to get him to talk, and Naruto ultimately liked to be careful about the things he shared with other people, even his closest friends. Sakura and Sai could be meddlesome and her tone dripped with intrigue. 

"I suppose so. Maybe I was just so shocked to see his face finally. At least I beat Sasuke to it."

She grimaced. "Actually, apparently Sasuke saw it when we were like fifteen, when he and Kakashi got into that huge row…"

"Oh my GOD I really am his least favorite student!!!"

"Pffft no way. Sai should technically count and he's certifiably insane."

Seeing an opportunity to properly change the subject, Naruto decided to switch the focus on Sakura's own personal affairs. "So is Sai still trying to 'court' Ino?"

She frowned deeply. "Not if I can help it. He's too… something. I don't know what."

"You say that about everyone Ino dates," Naruto grinned, eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Sakura's face flushed pink.

"Well that's because it is true about everyone she dates…"

"Mhmm, definitely."

…

Naruto left the bar feeling more confused. He thought that seeing Kakashi's face meant that the Rokudaime was starting to open up more, starting to trust more, but apparently everyone had seen his face but Naruto and he was starting to believe that the mask meant nothing, was just yet another method of being weird and keeping people away.

Sakura was wrong, though. Kakashi was easily the most handsome man in Konohagakure that Naruto had ever known personally.

…

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru stated with a bow. "What? No Naruto glued to your side?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. He's taken such a sudden interest in my duties, and I'm not sure why but it troubles me."

Shikamaru's flat expression faltered briefly. "You think he's catching on."

Kakashi blew out a breath. "That's the thing, I really don't know. He seems to be genuinely helpful and invested, but why so suddenly? I all but gave up trying to get him to shadow me and now I'm neck deep in bullshit that I don't really even want him around it."

The Nara raised an eyebrow. "Do you want advice or are you blowing off steam?"

"Advice, preferably, this time."

He sighed and lit a cigarette. "I think you should let him shadow for a bit, I'll cover some of your other duties for awhile until he can prove to be completely loyal to you and the future of the village."

Kakashi started a bit. "I figured we should test him, but why loyalty to me specifically?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You're such a drag when you're over-tired. Because eventually it will be you against the Clan Elders, the Council, and the Daimyou. And if you have the devotion of the beloved savior of the modern world, then things start to tip in your favor."

"Hai, hai, I know... I just hate politics. I hate manipulation, subtle or not."

"I know, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said empathetically, his logical gaze softening. "But sometimes the greater good is more important tha-"

Kakashi stood suddenly, now looking down at the sitting advisor. "Do not lecture me about greater good, Nara Shikamaru. You above everyone else must know the futility of those words after thousands of Shinobi have been robbed of lives because of it. Myself included."

Shikamaru bowed his head in shame, but didn't apologize. He didn't need to, Kakashi could practically smell his embarrassment. "I understand, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave."

…

Kakashi was still seething when he made the winding trip back to his apartment around 1AM. Why was Naruto suddenly so interested in the position? It had always been his dream, but after the war, Naruto had changed. Kakashi couldn't imagine Naruto doing all of this tedious work. What a waste of potential. And yet, suddenly the jinchūriki was eager to assist and learn. 

Is Naruto suspicious of me?

Kakashi's mind immediately answered no, but his gut instinct said otherwise. All of the sudden, Naruto was following him around, showing off his genin, scamming the Hokage out of money…

"Very curious…" Kakashi trailed off aloud, becoming acutely aware of a familiar presence in his midst.

"Kakashi-sensei! I was just thinking about you," Sakura strode up beside him, her building a block from his own.

"Only good things from my favorite student, I presume," Kakashi replied easily, so exhausted that he wasn't quite fully aware of his own body at this point.

"Well I don't know what Sasuke thinks about you, but I think you look terribly overworked. You should come in this weekend and I'll give you a quick workup."

"Are you drunk? You seem intoxicated, Sakura-chan."

"Aiyou! You act like it is so crazy for me to care about the well-being of my village leader. Come see me by Monday or I will be forced to come get you and I outrank you on this," Sakura hissed, poking him. Kakashi could smell the beer on her breath and smiled. 

"Hai, Sakura-chan."

She nodded and punched him hard in the shoulder with a wet grin. "This is you," she pointed to his orange-painted brownstone. "Good night, Baka-sensei!" Sakura bounded to the roof of his building and disappeared into the night, leaving cracks in the ground where she had taken off.

…

Kakashi didn't see Naruto before they left for their mission; apparently the mission scroll had already been sent downstairs for them to retrieve. He was disappointed. He had wanted to let the team know how impressed he was. _Another time. If I remember_.

He made his way to the pastel-haired medic's office, easily slinking in through the window.

"_Honto ni?_ Is that Sharingan no Kakashi in my office on a Sunday afternoon? The world must be ending," Sakura exclaimed, joking, but Kakashi could pick up on the genuine fear hiding in her jade eyes. What was she so worried about? _Is this so out of character?_

"The one and only in his one and only appearance," he smirked under his mask. 

"That sounds about right." 

Sakura pulled out his massive file, which was a huge three-ring binder with a sealing scroll to keep it from prying eyes. She did the expected examinations, taking on a soft voice and serious demeanor. It was like interacting with a different person entirely.

His blood pressure was disturbingly high, and his most recent psychological evaluation had been missed, she tutted disapprovingly. 

"You know your mental health is just as important as your physical health, so why aren't you taking my advice and get evaluated and see someone?"

He chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. "Don't be dense, Sakura." She inhaled sharply, readying a rebuttal, but he put his hand on her shoulder. "You are one of the only advocates for mental health in this village. Not everyone believes the way you do, because not everyone is used to the idea that our future might not always be driven by war. But aside from that, if the public finds out I'm in therapy, how would that look for me?"

"Well it would look to me like you care for your mental health and are setting a new precedent.." she stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. "They would call you weak, question your sanity, or your ability to rule."

"This is why you're the smartest. And I cannot really trust anyone to not leak this information."

"Are you in some kind of trouble, Kakashi-sama?" Sakura blurted out suddenly.

Kakashi blanched. "Eh? Why would you say that?"

"I just, I guess I'm still not used to you being a political figure…"

"Me neither."

….


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which EVERYONE blushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a lil treat for you guys. Hope your week is going okay <3

Naruto hadn’t been able to get Kakashi’s face out of his head for the last five days. He saw it just before he fell asleep, and it haunted his dreams through the night. His crooked, sly smile that lit up his face, but never quite touched his shining, dark eyes. The way he worried his full, lower lip in thought, or how his tongue ran over his sharp canine when he was being dodgy. 

“I told you he wasn’t listening to you,” Yusuke almost taunted, snapping Naruto out of his reverie.

“Gomen, gomen, It is hard not to get lost in thought when we’ve been in the same scenery for six hours.”

“You got that right!” Tsuri said, stretching her long, tone arms high above her head. “Nothing beats Hi no Kuni!”

“What are you thinking about, Naruto-sensei?” Rei asked in a forced tone that could only be considered casual by an alien, twisting a tuft of lavender hair between her fingers. “You’ve been spacing out all week… Is it possible that maybe you have, I don’t know, a crush?”

Naruto visibly flinched, his tan, sweating face flushing even further. “Maa maa, why would you say that?”

“Yeah, Rei-chan, Baka-sensei is too ugly to get a date with anyone anyways,” Tsuri barked out a laugh, but her teammates didn’t join in.

“Well that simply isn’t true,” Yusuke supplied quietly, earning surprised looks from the others.

“Nani?” Rei squealed, practically vibrating. “You think Naruto-sensei is cute?!”

Yusuke cheeks colored pink and he looked at his feet, embarrassed. “I don’t think it is a matter of opinion. It is just an objective fact. Naruto-sensei is cute, and everyone loves him.”

“Not everyone,” Tsuri said, forgetting herself. “I read in  _ Shock Five  _ that the heir of the Hyuuga clan dumped him!”

She seemed to realize immediately what she said and turned to apologize, only to find Naruto giving her a sad, half-smile. “Don’t believe everything you read in that tabloid trash. Hinata Hyuuga would  _ never  _ date someone like me. Too undignified.”

Tsuri shot him a grateful smile. “I’m not sure anyone is dignified enough for someone so pious anyways.”

“Indeed,” Naruto said, a mischievous gleam in his cornflower blue eyes.. “I’m sure she will marry some pious second cousin that looks just like her.” 

“Such is the noble clan family way,” Yusuke agreed.

“But you didn’t answer my question, Naruto-sensei…” Rei piped up quietly.

Naruto turned and poked her hard in the forehead. “I’m easy to read. Trust me, when I have a crush, you’ll be the first to know."

Yusuke tutted. “I’m not so sure. You’re a jounin-sensei and a Hokage-hopeful. If you’re easy to read then maybe there’s no hope for the rest of us.”

“Don’t worry, Yusuke-kun, you’re practically  _ impossible  _ to read. We’re coming up on the border of Fire, get out your identification!”

…

Naruto maintained his composure until he was back in the village, then he felt it begin to slip. Although he had mostly gotten over Hinata, when she was brought up out of nowhere or he saw her without properly preparing himself, it was like being stabbed in the heart. 

He stood in the middle of the busy nightmarket that was his neighborhood, grasping at his chest, willing the air to find its way back into his lungs. Although he would  _ never _ tell anyone, the fallout from their breakup had been astronomical and he still hadn’t fully recovered. It was his own fault, he knew. Hinata had been there to put him back together after the war, even at the expense of herself. She had loved him and cared for him, while her sense of self and grief had become so distant she hardly felt it. He would never forgive himself for letting her throw her soul into helping him. The breakup had been his idea. Once he pulled himself out of the postwar pit, and had obtained some much needed self-awareness, he realized how much he'd neglected Hinata and her needs.

He felt a familiar presence behind him, followed by a voice so much deeper than Naruto was still used to hearing. "Dobe, you're standing in the middle of the street."

"Teme! _What_ are you doing here?"

Sasuke smirked and flicked Naruto in the forehead. "I see time hasn't improved your investigative skills at all."

Naruto smirked back. "We all have strong suits. I was going to head home, but I could stand to be in your company for a bit." He scratched his head and attempted to chuckle, hoping it didn't sound as dry and hollow as it felt.

"Hn."

The jounin-sensei led Sasuke to one of their favorite stalls, an unexplainable sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.  _ Why is Sasuke here? He isn't due back for ages.  _ And Naruto made it his business to know what his traitor-friend was up to.

Sasuke ordered for them, and paid in exact change, carefully counting it out, something that always drove Naruto  _ crazy _ , but he didn't dare comment. He knew better than to take the bait every time.

Naruto watched, mouth suddenly watering, as Sasuke strode up to him with a huge cob of grilled corn. "I never know that I want this until it is in my hands. I think I've been wanting it for  _ ages. _ "

Sasuke grunted, taking a polite, but juicy bite. The savory coating threatened to dribble down his chin, but Sasuke was too put together to allow such a folly. He swiftly wiped it away, catching Naruto's gaze in his own. 

"Long time no see, dobe. Why are you staring at my face?"

"You're keeping something from me…" Naruto mused, mouth full of corn. Sasuke's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but not to Naruto. He saw the recognition, then fear, then dismissal. Sasuke had a secret, that much was certain. 

"Not everything I do is your business, Naruto."

"No, I suppose it isn't."

He sighed as they lapsed into a tight silence, the deafening cacophony of the nightmarket becoming a blanket of white noise that spared them both the awkwardness of trying to come back from that statement. 

They wound their way through the alleys and side streets until they were on the landing of Naruto's sixth floor walkup. Although the hum of the market was still so very near, Naruto couldn't make it out. All he could think about was the weird way Sasuke was holding himself around Naruto, almost like he was about to come undone any second.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?"

"Why are  _ you  _ being so suspicious of me?"

Naruto glared. If Sasuke was going to play dumb with him, then in must be serious. "Because you're _being_ suspicious."

Sasuke stood there, still as a board before turning to leave, but Naruto grabbed his elbow. "Why don't you come up?" He asked, testing, voice airy and deep, almost inaudible in its hushed tone. It held the desired effect, though. The white of Sasuke's visible eye expanded in surprise, accompanied by a powerful blush that didn't make it's way past the Uchiha's neck, but was impossible to miss regardless. 

"Don't play those games, Naruto." Sasuke warned, taking a large step back, yanking his arm away.

_ Hmm,  _ Naruto thought,  _ this is new. _ Normally Sasuke might flirt back, might even entertain the idea, although they never did that anymore, but never had he expected this response from him.

Naruto shrugged, "Message received. Thanks for the company, Sasuke." 

He sped up the stairs to his apartment, slamming and locking the door behind him, as though he could keep any feelings he didn't want to have at bay by locking a door.

The shock of seeing Sasuke had burned away the lingering guilt of his past mistakes. He was missing something, although he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

…

  
  



End file.
